South Africa Retail Sales Growth Accelerates

(RTTNews) - South Africa's retail sales growth quickened in July after easing in the previous two months, data from Statistics South Africa showed on Wednesday.

On an unadjusted basis, retail sales rose 5.6 percent year-on-year in July, faster than the 1.7 percent increase in the prior month.

The annual sales growth in textiles, clothing, footwear, and leather goods quickened to 10.0 percent from 1.9 percent. Sales of hardware, paint, and glass surged 13.2 percent, while sales of food, beverages, and tobacco in specialized stores declined by 1.4 percent. On a monthly basis, retail sales recovered 2.1 percent versus a 0.1 percent decrease in June.